An Air Strike, a Fireball, and More Civilian Casualties

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An Air Strike, a Fireball, and More Civilian Casualties

A NATO airstrike in Afghanistan's Kunduz Province last night claimed dozens of lives, and the coalition is trying to sort out how many of the casualties may have been civilian.

The NATO-led International Security Assistance Force is now investigating reports that civilians may have been killed when an aircraft targeted two fuel tankers that had been reported stolen by insurgents. According to an ISAF news release, the strike was directed at insurgents, but the New York Times, quoting local officials, reports that the attack also killed civilians who were siphoning fuel from the trucks, which were stopped at a river crossing.

Several items are worth noting here. First, the incident must be reviewed in light of ISAF commander Gen. Stanley McChrystal's tactical directive, which says air strikes can only be employed in "very limited and prescribed conditions." McChrystal has won praise for talking about a "population-centric" approach, but incidents like this – and the way they are perceived by Afghans – will be a serious test for the coalition.

Second, it underscores the precarious situation in Kunduz Province. This northern province had previously been one of the more secure regions of Afghanistan, but as we have noted here before, the Taliban now operate openly in some parts of Kunduz, and violence has spiked. With NATO's focus on securing alternative supply routes, instability in the north is now a major issue.

Finally, the incident was triggered by a report from a provincial operational command center. As I recently reported from Afghanistan, the U.S. military has been pouring resources into standing up Operational Coordination Centers in each province. The centers, manned jointly by police, military and intelligence personnel, are supposed to act as a unified tactical operations center – and a "911" for citizens to turn to in an emergency. These centers may facilitate a faster response from coalition forces, but avoiding civilian casualties still counts as much as speed*.*